The Red Hat Society's Acting Their Age

by Regina Hale Sutherland

“Okay, then.” Mia started from the room, pausing at the door. “I’ll check on you in a couple of hours.”

  Pulling the comforter to her chin, Rachel yawned, her eyes shifting to Mia, then down, then over to the wall. “Sure. Whatever.” She yawned again. “I’ll probably sleep a really long time.”

  Mia closed the door and headed for the kitchen phone.

  “Brewed Awakening,” Leanne answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, it’s me. You were right. I don’t think I should leave her here alone.”

  “Just a sec.” Mia heard the cash register ding, then Leanne say, “Thanks. Sure you don’t need a sweet roll with that?”

  “I do, but my hips don’t,” came the customer’s reply.

  “I’m looking forward to next week’s Red Hat meeting, Betty,” Aggie called from in the distance, and it crossed Mia’s mind that the women would soon be encouraging her to start attending again, too, like they had every month since Dan’s death. Get the widow out of the house. Keep her busy. The shop bell jingled, and Mia heard Betty Rigdon say goodbye, followed by laughter from The Coots, as Leanne had named the weekday morning regulars.

  “Okay.” Leanne blew out a breath and said quietly into the phone, “I opened early. Seems nobody can sleep this morning. What’s up?”

  “Can you talk?”

  “For a minute.”

  “I’m afraid she’s going to bolt if I leave.”

  “Or rob you blind.”

  “Maybe. She sure is interested in all my things.” A door hinge squeaked. Mia glanced up and saw Rachel peek down the hallway then duck out of sight. “In fact, she’s already up and checking to see if I’m gone.”

  Leanne sighed noisily. “Like I said before, this is a mistake. You know that, don’t you?”

  “You’re probably right. I’m having second thoughts. Why’d you go along with it?”

  Another sigh. “She reminds me of me at fourteen. I can’t imagine what might’ve become of me if I hadn’t had Aggie to see me through those days.”

  Leanne’s mom had died of cancer when she was in third grade. Aggie, Marion Wells’ best friend, stepped in as a second mother to Leanne. Her father never got over his grief and had spent the last decade of his life lost in a bottle.

  “Ask Aggie to make an excuse to Roy so she can come over here after she leaves the shop. Then I’ll come up there and help you close early.”

  “Then what?”

  Mia wavered between telling Cade right away, or giving Rachel some time while they tried to convince Mack and Jesse not to press charges. “Then you’ll decide what we should do.”

  “I’ll decide,” Leanne huffed. “Thanks a lot.” Her laugh rang with cynicism. “Aggie’ll spoil that girl rotten before the day’s over.”

  “Something tells me Rachel could use a little pampering.”

  “Don’t kid yourself that’s all it’ll take. Troubled teenagers aren’t easy to fix.”

  “I know.”

  Silence, then, “Of course you do. I’m sorry, Mia. I didn’t mean—”

  “I know you didn’t.” She squinted to see down the shadowed hallway, looking for signs that Rachel hid there, listening.

  “I’ll call Eddie now and tell him we’re having an impromptu Red Hat meeting after we close. We can go to your place and figure this thing out.”

  “Eddie won’t mind?”

  “He’ll be glad to have an excuse to go shoot some pool before dinner.”

  Leanne’s sarcastic tone concerned Mia. For weeks, she had sensed tension between Leanne and her husband. “I hate to ask you to keep something from Eddie, but I’d feel better if you didn’t tell him about Rachel yet.”

  “That should be easy enough. Lately, our conversations are few and far between.”

  Mia hesitated then asked, “You want to talk about it?”

  “It’s nothing, really. We’re just in a slump. We’ll pull out of it.”

  “I’m here if you need me.”

  “I know you are.”

  Mia spotted Rachel again, but she backed away when their gazes met. “Well, I wouldn’t ask you to keep Rachel a secret from him,” Mia said quietly, “but Eddie is a newspaper man. He might feel obligated to go to Cade before we’re ready.”

  Leanne sighed. “The truth is, I really don’t like hiding things from him. We’ve always had an understanding about that. But I’ll keep quiet until we decide what we’re going to do with her.”

  “When you’re ready to tell him, warn me first. And you’d better ask Aggie not to say anything to Roy, either.”

  The sound of the doorbell made Mia’s nerves jump. “Someone’s here, Leanne. I’ll call you later.”

  She hung up and went to answer the door, expecting to find her neighbor, Amber. Since Dan died, the young mother often checked on Mia. She probably saw Aggie’s Blazer drive up at this ungodly hour and was worried.

  Pasting on a smile, Mia unlocked the door and opened it wide. A blast of cold air hit her in the face.

  Cade grinned at her. “Hello again, Mia.”

  Chapter 4

  Mia’s startled expression all but confirmed Cade’s suspicion. She, Leanne, and Aggie had more in the making than coffee and pastries. He’d guessed as much back at their shop.

  “Hi, Cade. What are you doing here?”

  He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t ask him in. “I just ran into Aubrey Ricketts over at the Fina station. He said he saw you driving away from the coffee shop a while ago in Aggie’s Blazer.”

  “That’s right. I borrowed it. I didn’t drive my Tahoe to work this morning.”

  “What’s wrong? Forget something?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did. Is forgetfulness a crime these days?” she asked in a teasing tone.

  Cade smiled and waited for her to offer more information. She didn’t. Instead, she stood with her chin lifted and her smile unwavering. A five-foot-four-inch, one-hundred-twenty-pound, green-eyed iceberg.

  “So . . .” she finally said. “You need anything else?”

  He took off his hat. “I’ve been sitting in the truck debating whether I should trust my gut, or trust you.”

  “Trust me? About what?”

  “I think you know something about that runaway girl. I can understand if you feel sorry for the kid, but she broke the law.”

  Mia tilted her head, her expression mocking him. “My, you’re even tougher than I thought, Cade. So, the law’s never wrong. Is that what you’re saying?”

  He cleared his throat. Her wide-eyed scrutiny made him feel like a teenaged boy wearing a fake mustache. “I’d like to take a look around inside the house, if you don’t mind. The coffee shop, too.”

  “Search them, you mean?” She sounded baffled. “On what grounds?”

  “Reasonable suspicion.”

  “Reasonable—?” Mia uttered a short sound of disbelief, then grinned. “Quit teasing me, Cade.”

  “Sorry, but I’m not teasing.” Cade shifted, straightened. “You and Leanne were dancing around each other earlier like a couple of boxers. Aggie was nervous as a wet hen.” He chuckled. “And all that nonsense about a packrat . . .”

  He peered over her shoulder into the house.

  Mia stepped onto the porch and pulled the door shut behind her. “That’s silly,” she said, her tone lighthearted. “What reason would any of us have to hide some runaway kid from you?”

  He steadied his gaze on hers. “I don’t know, Mia. Why would you do that?” Her amused look faltered. Only for a second, but he caught it, that flicker of uncertainty, of apprehension in her eyes.

  “You may have suspicions but they aren’t the least bit reasonable.” Shivering, Mia rubbed her palms up and down her arms. She wore a long-sleeved sweater under her baggy overalls, but no coat. “I’ll be happy to let you search my place.”

  Cade couldn’t hide his surprise. “You will?”

  She nodded and smiled sweetly. “Of course. Right after you show me a warrant, Sheriff.”

 
; Sheriff. So they were back to that. Cade blew out a noisy breath. He’d hoped not to have to go to those lengths to gain her cooperation. How was a man supposed to convince a woman to see him socially when he was serving her with legal papers? He wished he could just forget Rachel Nye, follow Mia inside out of the cold, sit and talk to her about anything else but this. He wished he could do other things, too. Take her hair out of that braid, tangle his fingers in it, kiss her.

  At least two months had passed since he last kissed a woman. Mary Lambert. A recently divorced court reporter in Amarillo. It had been nice, but Cade had a feeling kissing Mia would be more than nice. Much more. “If you’ve got nothing to hide,” he said calmly, “then why are you making this so difficult? I’m a reasonable man.”

  “You’re implying I lied to you.” She shrugged. “Frankly, I’m a little insulted.”

  “Insulted or nervous?” Instantly regretting the quick comeback, he ran a hand across the top of his head and said, “Come on, Mia. I hate acting like a bully. Let’s just get this over with.”

  Mia blinked once. Twice. She shook her head. “It’s a matter of principle.”

  “You don’t leave me any choice, then.” Tugging his hat on, more frustrated than he’d been in a long time, Cade turned, stepped off the porch, then glanced back at her, hoping she’d change her mind and just come clean.

  Mia stood with her arms crossed, a firm but polite expression on her face. She might look small and soft and fragile as a flower, but Mia MacAfee was one headstrong woman. Right now, with her green eyes staring into his and her mouth set in a stubborn line, he didn’t know whether to grab her and satisfy his curiosity about that kiss, or shake some sense into her. “I’ll be back soon.” He swiveled around and started down the walkway.

  “Cade,” Mia called when he rounded his truck at the curb.

  He opened the door and looked across at her.

  “If you thought I was lying to you, why didn’t you ask to search the coffee shop when you were there?”

  “I wanted to believe you.”

  “But you don’t.”

  He studied her. Mia had more strength of character, more heart, than anyone he’d ever met. But she was also vulnerable and soft-hearted. She was the type of woman who stood up for what she believed to be fair and right in the long run, popular or not. Once, years back, she’d stood alone against the entire school board, even her husband, insisting the star quarterback shouldn’t play the biggest game of the year since he skipped class after a supposed final warning. The month before, the school suspended a girl for the same offense. In a community like Muddy Creek, where high school sports were the town’s heartbeat—football especially—her actions took nerve. Still, Mia held her ground. And got her way.

  But, would she break a law if she thought it was for a good reason? The right reason?

  “I’m not sure what I believe, Mia. But it’s my job to enforce the law. When my gut tells me something, I tend to listen. It’s served me well in the past.” He climbed into his truck and drove off.

  At the end of the block, he stopped at the sign and glanced into his rearview mirror at her house.

  Mia was gone.

  At ten, Mia peeked in on Rachel and found her sound asleep, so she drove back to the Brewed Awakening to pick up Aggie.

  Now, Aggie sat on a bar stool at Mia’s kitchen counter with her sock-covered feet propped up on a matching stool. She wiggled her toes. “Lord, it feels good to be off my feet.” Aggie gave a blissful sigh. “You don’t really think Judge Brennan will give Cade a search warrant, do you? Won’t he want some kind of evidence?”

  “I don’t know.” Mia looked inside the refrigerator for something to fix Rachel for lunch. It was only ten-thirty and the girl was still asleep, but Mia wanted to have a good meal waiting when Rachel woke up. And she wanted to be the one to fix it. After all that had gone on today, Aggie needed some rest. “Maybe reasonable suspicion is all that’s necessary.”

  “I’m not going to worry over it,” Aggie said. “For heaven’s sake, what could he tell the judge that would sound reasonable? He didn’t see or hear anything. He’s grasping at straws.”

  “Well he’s right, you know. We are hiding the girl. That’s against the law.” Mia looked around the refrigerator door at her friend. “Are you okay with that?”

  “Sugar, some laws are made to be broken. Besides, if they throw an old lady like me in the slammer for having a little compassion, then shame on them. And if they did, I’d feel sorry for the poor sucker who had to deal with Roy Cobb’s wrath.”

  Smiling, Mia took out a pound of hamburger meat, thinking she’d make chili. “You’re not an old lady.”

  “I feel like one lately.”

  “Leanne and I have both noticed you seem to be in a funk.” Setting the meat on the stovetop, Mia went to the pantry where she gathered spices and canned stewed tomatoes. “We’re worried about you.”

  Aggie stayed silent for a few seconds before saying, “The twins graduate from high school this May.” Her voice wavered.

  “You’re kidding! Nicky and Natalie are seniors?” Mia referred to Aggie’s granddaughters, her only grandchildren. The girls lived in Boston with Aggie’s son Jimmy and their mother Sheila.

  “The time’s passed by in a blink, hasn’t it?” Aggie turned and stared out the breakfast nook window into the snowy front yard. “I always thought there’d be plenty of time to get closer to them.” She met Mia’s gaze. “We talked on the phone Christmas day, and we hardly had a thing to say to one another. They were polite, Mia. Like strangers.”

  Mia turned off the burner beneath the ground beef and went to sit beside Aggie.

  “That’s what they are. Strangers to Roy and me, and us to them. People don’t grow to love one another through cards, e-mails and phone calls alone.” Aggie blinked teary eyes. “My granddaughters don’t know me. They don’t love me, and they certainly don’t need me.”

  “Oh, honey.” Mia hugged her.

  When they parted, Aggie pulled a tissue from the box on the counter, took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. “I’m so mad at Roy I could spit. And I’m mad at myself for letting him dictate every move I make. After that first trip to Boston when the girls were born, he refused to go again. ‘It’s too long a drive. Too many tourists in the summer, too cold in the winter, too much time away from the farm,’” Aggie mocked her husband’s gruff voice. “‘Let them come here.’” She blew her nose.

  “They did visit.” Mia squeezed her friend’s hand. “Remember that time we all went caroling on Christmas Eve?”

  “Oh, sure. They spent the holidays with us some when the girls were little. A week in the summer from time to time, too. But when Natalie and Nicky started school, they just got so busy.” Aggie teared up again. “They invited us to come up. I should’ve bought myself a plane ticket and gone without Roy.” She laughed through her tears. “He would’ve had a fit.”

  Mia gave her a moment to cry.

  Sniffing, Aggie waved her away. “Go on. Fix your chili. I’m just being silly and sentimental. Finish up and go help Leanne.”

  “I’ll let her take care of things by herself today. I don’t want Cade showing up with his warrant and you being here alone with Rachel.”

  “Sugar, I’ve got eighteen years on that man. I can handle Cade Sloan, don’t you worry about it. Besides, he’ll be a while. I saw his truck at the convenience store when we were heading over here, so he probably hasn’t even left town yet.”

  “You did? I must have missed it.”

  Aggie nodded. “It’s an hour’s drive to Brody to the county courthouse. Who knows how long it’ll take for him to convince Judge Brennan he’s justified in his so-called suspicions? And I bet he’ll want to grab some lunch before the hour’s drive back.”

  “You think so?”

  “More than likely, you’ll be finished at the shop and home again by the time he shows up. If he shows up.”

  “He’ll show up, warrant or no warr
ant.” Mia returned to the stove and turned the burner on again beneath the skillet. “Cade follows through on his hunches.” When the meat sizzled, she stirred it with a wooden spoon. “If he comes by here early, he’ll wonder why you’re at the house without me.”

  “He won’t know. The Blazer’s in the garage and I won’t answer the door. He’ll assume nobody’s home.”

  “But would a warrant allow him to come in anyway?”

  Aggie put on her glasses and frowned. “You mean break in? Cade wouldn’t go that far, would he?”

  “Who knows?” She shrugged. “Maybe. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

  Nothing would now, Mia realized. Yesterday, if someone had told her she’d be harboring a fugitive today, she would have declared them crazy.

  “Leanne suggested we get together over here before dinner under the guise of a Red Hat meeting,” she said. “You think you can persuade Roy to let you come? The three of us haven’t really had a chance to be alone and talk about all this.”

  Aggie nodded. “Don’t worry about Roy. I’ll be here, one way or another.”

  Around two o’clock, high school seniors with short schedules began trickling into the Brewed Awakening, backpacks slung over their shoulders and a day’s worth of gossip ready to discuss. A couple of months after Mia and Leanne opened the coffee shop, they added trendy drinks to their menu to entice the kids. Chai teas, Italian sodas, fancy mochas with whipped cream toppings.

  Behind the counter, Leanne took orders and Mia filled them. Soon, young people crowded the tables, their heads together over open books they’d already deserted in lieu of conversation.

  Mia began wiping down the work area.

  “Cade’s back.” Leanne nudged her with an elbow and nodded at the big glass window overlooking Main Street.

  Mia watched Cade’s black Dodge truck ease slowly by on the road.

  “You think he’s been to your house yet?”

  “Aggie would’ve called by now if he had.”

  “Maybe she can’t.” Leanne slid Mia a wry look. “Maybe he has her in custody.”

  “Call and let her know he’s back. She can get Rachel out of there.”

  “Don’t you think it’s time we ended this? What good’s it going to do?” Leanne tapped her boot against the floor. “We can’t keep her hidden forever.”